Fans First News for Coca-Cola 600 Week

Monday, May 24, 2010

Less than one week remains until the 51st running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Here are several Fans First items of interest that will help race fans coming to the event this Sunday, May 30, get the most out of their race experience.

MondayAll-Star Winner Busch on PRN’s ‘Fast Talk’ Tonight, Streamed Live from The Speedway ClubDoug Rice, president and general manager of Performance Racing Network (PRN), will host a special edition of Fast Talk Monday night, May 24, in The Speedway Club with special guest, NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winner, Kurt Busch. Kyle Petty will co-host the show, which starts at 7 p.m. Between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. fans can e-mail questions for the celebrity guests to or call 1-800-771-TALK (8255). Also, for the first time, fans can watch the show online, as Fast Talk will be video streamed live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/prn-s-fast-talk.

TuesdayPot-Luck Dinner For Coca-Cola 600 Campers Takes Place at zMAX DragwayCharlotte Motor Speedway will hold its first pot-luck dinner and recipe exchange on Tuesday evening, May 25, at 6 p.m. at the pavilion located near the front entrance of zMAX Dragway. The event is open to all race fans camping around the speedway. Fans are encouraged to bring their favorite covered dishes or desserts, along with index cards to exchange recipes with other campers. Following dinner, Motor Racing Outreach will present live music and comedy to entertain fans. Media in town for Coca-Cola 600 Week activities are also invited to attend.

Wednesday30th Annual AutoTrader.com Speedway Children's Charities Gala at the NASCAR Hall of FameThe 30th annual AutoTrader.com Speedway Children's Charities Gala will be held in the newly-opened NASCAR Hall of Fame in uptown Charlotte on May 26. This year's event will honor 2009 Coca-Cola 600 winner, David Reutimann, and serve as the official kick-off to Coca-Cola 600 Race Week festivities at Charlotte Motor Speedway. All proceeds from the evening will benefit the grant program of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities. Gala festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception sponsored by ACN, Inc. The reception will include a silent auction, a photo booth by ShutterBooth and live music from the Rowan Big Band All-Stars, an 18-piece band featuring the style of Glenn Miller. Visit www.charlotte.speedwaycharities.org for more information.

ThursdayFans to Participate in Windstream Pole NightOn Thursday night, May 27, Charlotte Motor Speedway officials will randomly select fans in attendance at Windstream Pole Night to wave the green flag during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 May 30. Qualifying is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Limited Edition Ticket Available for Pole NightFans looking for a unique keepsake celebrating the NASCAR Hall of Fame grand opening in Charlotte, N.C., can now purchase a special commemorative Hall of Fame ticket to Windstream Pole Night on May 27 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This limited edition collectable ticket features the five inductees chosen for the NASCAR Hall of Fame inaugural class: Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson and Richard Petty. The tickets are oversized and suitable for framing. Only 10,000 tickets are available and each is affordably priced at $15. Regular adult tickets for Windstream Pole Night are $12. Children under 6 are free and tickets for children ages 6 through 12 are just $1. Fans can purchase the tickets in the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office, by visiting www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or calling 1-800-455-FANS.

FridayCoca-Cola Family Walk Comes to CMS May 28; Quarter-Mile Cookout After WalkNew for 2010 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the Coca-Cola Family Track Walk, which gives fans the opportunity to mingle with top NASCAR drivers and get active while walking around the track. Fans can get moving alongside Coca-Cola Racing Family drivers Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 28. Following the walk, fans can enjoy activities for the whole family, including games, music, racing simulators, motivating lifestyle tips and Q&A sessions with drivers. To round out the day, Coca-Cola and Charlotte Motor Speedway are bringing back a fan favorite from 2009 – the Quarter-Mile Cookout – using the nation’s longest grill. At 1,320 feet in length, the grill will use more than 3.5 tons of charcoal to cook up a picnic-style lunch following the Coca-Cola Family Track Walk. There will be plenty of healthy food options available at the cookout, including grilled chicken, ground chuck hamburgers, wheat buns, apples and baked Herr’s chips. The entire day of events is free and open to all ticket and annual credential holders for the Coca-Cola 600.

Autograph Session at 4:30 for the Circle K NOS Energy Outlaw ShowdownWorld of Outlaws Sprint Car Series racing action returns to The Dirt Track at Charlotte May 28 with Circle K and NOS Energy Drink on board as new title sponsors for the Circle K NOS Energy Outlaw Showdown. Before the racing begins, fans will have an opportunity to meet their favorite drivers during a 4:30 p.m. autograph session on the main concourse. Participating in the session will be Tony Stewart Racing drivers Steve Kinser, a 20-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion, and reigning World of Outlaw champion Donny Schatz, as well as Kasey Kahne Racing driver Joey Saldana and 2001 World of Outlaws champion Danny Lasoski. The first 1,000 fans to present a NOS Energy Drink from Circle K at the gate for the autograph session will receive a free limited edition commemorative poster. In addition to the Sprint Car racing, the FASTRAK Crate Late Model Series will battle it out in the FASTRAK Triple Crown scheduled to follow the night’s main event. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. and The Circle K NOS Energy Outlaw Showdown feature, which pays $12,000 to the winner, begins at 9:05 p.m.

SaturdayNew Start Time for Nationwide Series RaceIn response to fan requests for an afternoon NASCAR Nationwide Series race, Charlotte Motor Speedway’s TECH-NET Auto Service 300 Powered by CARQUEST Auto Parts will start at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 29. “We’ve enjoyed running our May Nationwide Series race under the lights in recent years, but many of our fans and parents with young children have asked us to consider an earlier start time,” said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Charlotte Motor Speedway has always been a family-friendly place, and this will make the race even more convenient for fans of all ages, as well as hundreds of boy and girl scouts who make this race an annual outing.”

Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS. Friends and family four-pack tickets start at just $39.75 per person for the May 30 Coca-Cola 600.

For daily updates on May race activities, connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter or become a Facebook fan.